When I signed up to review products for Shoplet, one of the leading online office supplies store, I wondered what product I would get. After all, Shoplet has more than 400,000 products! So yesterday, I was delighted to find a package from Shoplet, staring up at me from the porch. I opened it eagerly, and found a box of Numi Tea! I received a box of Inspired Moments, which has 8 assorted flavors—Aged Earl Grey, Berry Black, Breakfast Blend, Gunpowder Green, Jasmine Green, White Orange Spice, Moroccan Mint, and Chamomile Lemon. I love Numi’s packaging—the calming tans and browns, and lovely artwork appeal to the artist in me. As a crafter, I looked at the box. It wasn’t one of their heavier boxes, but it’s a nice size and will re-appear one of these days in a project. According to the information on the packaging, the teabags are natural and biodegradable, and the outer packages are made from 72% recycled content. The list of ingredients was spotted with the words Fair Trade Certif…

Do you use punches to punch patterns all around a page or card? Ever messed up so the pattern isn't even?

Lynda, over at her blog, Positive Force, posted a link to a free downloadable PDF from SplitCoastStampers. It shows the measurements for using a Martha Stewart punch, but I think you could adapt it for any punch you have.

This is the latest work I've done in my Mead Dayplanner. This is the one I carry around in my purse to pull out and tangle in whenever I'm waiting at the Doctors or in long lines. This is one of the gesso'd pages I did up in advance. I added in a few fragments of magazine picture, and even a couple of Robin's Nest dewdrops (those little red crystals). The blue comes from a Pentel Energel-X. It smears very easily on the gesso, so I smeared lots of it, and then went around with blue fingers, lol! Lots of pens were used since this was dones over several weeks time. I pinkish color is a Sharpie Finepoint, and there was a Pilot B2P pen, and even a Preppy Fountain pen with Noodler's Heart of Darkness black.

Linda Farmer has posted photos and descriptions of the new Zentangle® oriented kits from Sakura. Not nearly as nice as getting the official Zentangle® kit, but it'll will be cool to be able to refills or pick them up at local arts/craft stores!

CZT Patty Farrell has posted ZIA Journal Tangle and Writing Prompt #9. She challenges you to use pages from an old Singer Embroidery book, that Penny Raile brought to light, as an inspiration for your tangle. Find out more at her blog, Zentangles & Stuff.

I've done up an advertisement for Viva Las Vegas stamps, which if all works out will appear in the August Steampunk issue of Rubber Stamp Madness magazine. I'll be posting that work another time--it's a 9x12 which took a little time and effort, even though I work fast. I'm also trying out for the Design Team for VLVS.

Meanwhile, I did a couple of other smaller works using VLVS stamps--one for another possible ad, and one just because I like the stamp.

I really do feel like I'm cheating with this photo stamp-Girl Feeding Cat. It's an ATC sized stamp, and all I did was add the framing around it. But I did find it very soothing. The trouble with doing this ad work is that don't zen while doing the tangles--it is very much more like work. And I've so much to do over the next few weeks, I don't want to take too much time for tangling. I felt like I could relax with this girl, but at the same time, I may be able to use this in something for the Desi…

Edie Cournoyer has posted steps to a sweet little Teapot Mini Canvas she made using the same Dangling Dolly Mold from Articus supply as I used for my Postcards. It's fun seeing what a different project she came up with!

I've got quite a few commitments from now through the end of March, and I'll be traveling to Florida for a couple of weeks, and I'm having some medical issues.

Life as usual, but a bit more intense than normal, lol!

As a result, I may disappear for a few days at a time and then be posting as usual for a while before I disappear again. I won't have time to go looking for content as much as usual, so I'll apologize to those whose giveaways or patterns I miss. I'll probably do round-ups where I post about several things at once, instead of several times a day.

About 10 days ago, I won the European Paper Haiku Contest (If you haven't already, check out the fabulous Haikus!) and I was amazed when my prize arrived a few days ago. I also ordered an Elephant Poo Poo journal and had it within a few days. Super fast delivery!

I felt such service deserved an equally timely response. Unfortunately, I've got several commitments pending and couldn't do just desserts to all three items that I won - A Moleskine Squared Notebook, 2 Moleskine Volant Plain Notebooks and a Moleskine Wine Passions Notebook.So I decided to do one at a time.

Lisa Fulmer has posted about a new product called Mul-tex, Mulberry paper on one side and laminate on the other. She also has a link to information about a webcast on Sunday that will have demos and chat and their will be giveaways!

I won't be able to attend the live webcast so I'll expect a report from you guys, lol! It sounds like an interesting product.

Can you imagine yourself sketching, drawing or painting in a beautiful notebook like these new travel albums from Exaclair? These aren't on the store shelves quite yet but will be soon, so be on the look out! I'll be doing a review in a couple of weeks, and there will be a giveaway with two winners!!

Their favorite vacation spot was the Oregon Coast. They made quite a tourist attraction themselves. We were always being asked to pose or to let others pose with them. The boys grace picture albums from visitors who came from Japan, Austria, Germany, Ecuador and the Netherlands. The love of big dogs is universal.

There are some problems associated with traveling with Mastiffs. We had to buy a truck and create a ramp system.

But above all, don't let your mastiff share the bed. They'll pretend they are going to share but as the night goes on, they skootch and stretch and push until they have 99.99% of the square footage and you are holding on by the fingernails.

They aren't usually swimmers but love dodging the waves. They'll happily attack driftwood and seawood, and love walking on the beach.

You can see what others are doing in their journals on Tumblr. Translation of Page, the Fourth- Feeding the Mastiff Left Side: Liam & Cedric did love their food. The few times we had to leave them, they fasted a day or two in sorrow - no greater love! It is possible that piranha were used in the breeding of the mastiff. It is easily seen in the feeding frenzy of mealtime. There are a few precautions that must be taken when feeding the mastiff, even those of a very young age. Even around food, the mastiff is unlikely to be agressive, but they are so eager and obsessive that accidents are always a possibility. Right side: What kind of accidents? Well, for instance, teach your mastiff a command such as 'release'. This can be used when he accidentally swallows your arm clear to the elbow. Don't stand between a mastiff and his food. He'll kiss your 'owies' after he's knocked you down and trampled you - but the kisses won't be given until all the food is gon…

For some reason, I committed the insanity of joining an International Postcard swap. Yes. It IS terrific fun, but it's still insane, lol. I posted a tutorial on the Creative Paperclay® blog showing the cards I made, but I wanted to share the cards I've been getting in return. I've got 5 so far and I love them all!

I received this wonderful zentangle-like bird from Sherry (she isn't into zentangle yet!) in Alaska, and a lovely Jane Austen from Barbara in California.

The fantastic stitched 'Grow' sentiments came from Carelene in Tennessee and the amazing 3-story house came from Marion in Germany (Marion didn't include an email, so I hope my thank you gets to him/her).

The fifth card is from Theresa in California. I love the warm, vibrant colors!

Though I haven't had much time to play with MyMemories Suite lately, I've found it easy to use. The one thing that baffled me a bit when I started was finding the items I had bought. A tutorial has just been posted on the blog showing how to do that. For this tutorial (and many others) check out the MyMemories blog.

Translation of Left Page:
Page, the Second:Reasons You Should Not Have a Mastiff
The food bill isn't so bad-about the same as a Shepherd or Lab. It's the accessories that get expensive.

Hats-Mastiffs drool. They shake their heads and the drool gets on the ceiling. 'Nuff said.

First Aid Equipment- Ointment for friction burns after you've been drug across the yard. Plaster cast for broken toes after a mastiff steps on them. Bandages. Mastiffs shed. It isn't excessive, but they are so big that the hair adds up. Sooner or later, you won't realize that one of the furballs you vacummed up was actually the cat. The bandages are for after you let the cat out of the bag. She won't be happy with you.

Yard Cleanup-you need a snow shovel and a wheelbarrow. Hip waders are recommended.

Gas masks are optional, but you'll probably want one, in case you can't get out of the room fast enough when a mastiff breaks wind.

Before I get to the tangle patterns or the bleedthrumanade (got lemons, make lemonade; got marker bleed-thru, make bleedthrumanade) I want to show you this cool stamp set that I won from Simon Says Stamp. If you are a crafter and don't follow their blog, you are missing out. They post new projects every day--tons of techniques and ideas, as well as introducing new products from different lines. And they have lots of giveaways! I used some of the stamps over Copic markers to do the front of this bleedthrumanade.

I didn't go very far with the back. I started tinkering with this pattern that is very similar to Fohbraid. One I thought looked like foliage and one sort of like Foxglove...and then it turned into something else entirely, lol. By that time I decided not to choose a third name. Foh-liage is the main pattern and they are all tangleations from there.

I decided to quit filling in, so that the tangle patterns didn't get lost, so it isn't much of a bleedthruman…

I did up the first page in my Rhodia WebNotebook for the 2012 Rhodia Journal Swap. You can see what others are doing at the Rhodia Journal Swap Tumblr site.

Done with Copic Markers and Multliner SPs.

The sentiment 'Abandon Hope' doesn't apply to the journal. The drawing came from a picture of my late mastiff, Liam, and whenever I look at that photo of him with his mouth gaping and his gullet showing, that thought passes through my mind, because so many objects disappeared through that mouth, lol!

Letraset has a new coloring challenge going. The line art is adorable and I couldn't resist.

Let me say, for the books, I just love Letraset's Pastel Beige Promarker color. It's a wonderful neutral that goes with almost any color. It's almost like Tofu (only it doesn't taste as good. As bad?) in that it adds body without masking the flavor of the colors you are using it with.